India’s Trade Marks Registry (Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks) has accepted the country’s first-ever smell mark for advertisement, “Floral Fragrance / Smell Reminiscent of Roses as Applied to Tyres”, filed by Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. The Registry observed that the graphical representation of the rose-like smell, developed by IIT Allahabad, satisfied the statutory requirement and the rose fragrance is easily recognisable to consumers while being uncommon in the tyre industry, rendering it distinctive.

The order can be accessed here.

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has notified the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) (Amendment) Rules, 2025. The amendments substitute the First Schedule, providing an updated fee structure with reduced official fees across several stages of GI filing and registration. Notably, the application fee for GI registration has been reduced from ₹5,000 to ₹1,000 per class to encourage grassroots communities to secure GI protection, thereby supporting authenticity and preventing misuse of GI-tagged goods.

The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) (Amendment) Rules, 2025 can be accessed here.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has launched the India AI Governance Guidelines under the IndiaAI Mission to ensure the safe, inclusive, and responsible adoption of AI across sectors. The guidelines comprise of seven sutras, six governance pillars and an action plan structured across short, medium and long-term timelines, along with practical principles tailored for developers, industry leaders and regulators.  

The guidelines can be accessed here.

The 12^th World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Conversation on Intellectual Property and Frontier Technologies was held from October 28 to October 29, 2025, in Geneva. Over 1700 participants addressed the surge in AI-generated synthetic media. The key issue discussed was balancing creativity through synthetic media with ethical and legal challenges, especially surrounding deepfakes and unauthorized use of creative works. Panels discussed both the creative possibilities and deepfake risks, pointing out gaps in current laws. The speakers also emphasized privacy, performers’ rights, and emerging global rules – all underscoring how crucial international cooperation is to protect creativity in the era of synthetic media.

More information on the session can be accessed at the official website of WIPO.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has notified the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Rules, 2025. Notably, the Rules follow a phase-wise implementation and coming into force of various provisions viz. the provisions relating to the Data Protection Board take effect on the date of publication of the Gazette i.e. November 13, 2025; the registration and obligations of Consent Managers will become operational one year from November 13, 2025; and the core operational rules on notice to be given by Data Fiduciaries, breach reporting, and compliance obligations for Data Fiduciaries will come into force 18 months from November 13, 2025, allowing organisations adequate time to align their systems and processes.

The DPDP Rules, 2025 can be accessed here.